Tour description

This bicycle tour will take you around the fjord leading up to Oslo, the capital of Norway. Discover the hidden charm of the harbor villages along the fjord, while bicycling on small, low-traffic roads. A detailed road book will help you to find your way through the few hills along the gentle fjord landscape.

Wondering about bringing your bathing suit to Norway? The water is less cold than one might expect. You will pass many beaches along your way and you may well get to brag about your swim in Norway once you are home.

Highlights

Oslo

Cycling quiet roads, cycle paths, and forest paths

Views of orchards and Drammen

Drammen River

Bragenes Torg and city bridge

Cycling around the fjord

Holmestrand with views over the bay and marina

Old naval base Karljohansvern

Midgard Historical Centre, with Viking history

Åsgårdstrand and Edvard Munch's summer house

Haugar Art Museum in Tonsberg

Whaling Museum and wharf in Sandefjord

Ferry through the beautiful Hvaler archipelago to Fredrikstad

Drøbak and the aquarium and Christmas house

Learn more

Daily program

Day 1: Arrival in Drammen
Drammen is located 50km west of Oslo. It is easy to reach by train (1 hour) from Oslo Airport. You may take the Airport Express train or a local train; they are both direct (ticket not included in tour cost).

Day 2: Drammen – Horten (34 miles/54 km)
The day will start with a slightly uphill route through agricultural fields heading for Sande. After Sande, you will catch up with the fjord again, arriving in Holmestrand in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon cycling country roads to Horten. This town used to be a navy base and you may visit its fortified naval museum, called Karljohansvern. Your hotel is close to the harbor.

Day 3: Horten – Sandefjord (34 miles/55 km)You leave Horten on a bicycle lane, which takes you along the coast to the small town of Åsgårdstrand. The painter Edvard Munch spent many summers here and you may visit his small wooden house turned into a museum.

You continue on to Tønsberg, known to be the oldest town in Norway. The area is known to hide Viking graves of kings and queens buried with their ships, and you have the chance to visit a shipyard making copies of these ships with old tools. In the afternoon, your itinerary continues through a farmland landscape to the town of Sandefjord.

Day 4: Sandefjord – Strömstad (Sweden) – Fredrikstad (11 miles/17 km)
You will start with an early morning departure on a car ferry from Sandefjord to Strömstad in Sweden, on the east side of the Oslo Fjord. The crossing takes 2.5 hours. Arriving in Strömstad, you will be going for a 15km loop on small roads north of the town. You will pass some beaches, so bring your swimming gear (if you wish to skip the ride, this is also possible for you).

The small town of Strömstad is known for being a harbor for shrimp fishing and has a nice downtown area with many restaurants and shops. In the afternoon, you will board the passenger ferry "Sagasund," which will take you along many islands back to Norway and to the town of Fredrikstad in 2 hours. This town has the nicest fortified old town in Norway, situated along the river Glomma.

Day 5: Fredrikstad – Moss/Son (33 or 39 miles/53 or 63 km)
The bike route today will lead you north along the coast past the island of Hankø. After a few hours, you can choose a 5 km longer, but more scenic, route along the fjord or a shorter route inland. In the afternoon you will reach the town of Moss, with typical wooden houses. The old wood and paper industry has been replaced by cafés and art galleries. Our hotel for the night is either in Moss or in Son, a nice little harbor village 10 km further away.

Day 6: Moss/Son – Drøbak – Oslo (15 or 21 miles/24 or 34 km + ferry)From Son you will have a choice of two different routes on country roads through rural areas. On the first choice, you pass the village Hølen, and you continue along a bicycle lane to Vestby, a rural commercial center.

The other choice is hillier and brings you to the village of Hvitsten. The bicycle tour ends in Drøbak, a lovely little seaside town where the fjord is at its most narrow. Here you may visit the aquarium or go to check out Norway’s biggest center for Christmas celebrations. You will leave your bike here in Drøbak and then take a regular boat or bus back to Oslo (ticket cost is included in tour price).

Day 7: Departure from Oslo
Breakfast at your centrally located hotel in Oslo.

Surface and terrain

You will cycle on small roads, cycle paths, and forest paths. The route has some hilly sections. Some days you may choose shorter or longer distances.

Hotels

You may choose Category A or Category B hotels. In Norway the hotels are not rated, but the selected hotels are equal to 3- or 4-stars.

This is a list of sample hotels. Actual hotels may vary by availability.

How to get there

Traveling from Gardermoen airport to Drammen is possible with The Airport Express Train (Flytoget in Norwegian) www.flytoget.no. This is a dedicated train between the Gardermoen airport to Drammen.

Traveling from Torp Sandefjord Airport (TRF) to Drammen takes about 1 hour. Take the free airport shuttle bus (4 minutes) from the airport to Torp train station. For shuttle details, please visit the airport website: www.torp.no/transport/tog. Then take the NSB train from Torp station to Drammen. For ticket information, please visit the NSB website: www.nsb.no.

Contact us with any questions about booking and paying for your tour through BikeTours.com. We look forward to serving you!

Merlot Reiser Terms and Conditions

In case of cancellations of booking once it is confirmed the following cancellation fees apply:

Up to 30 days before the departure date: 20 % of the total amount

From 29 to 22 days prior to departure date: 25 % of the total amount

From 21 to 15 days prior to departure date: 50 % of the total amount

From 14 to 8 days prior to departure date: 70 % of the total amount

From 7 to 1 day prior to departure date: 95 % of the total amount

On departure day and on no-show: 100 %

In case of changes to existing bookings: €20 for each change, except if this change add more services to the booking (extra person, extra night or any extra service).

Liability and limitation of liability
In the event of loss or damage to travel luggage, the tour operator shall only be liable if the loss or damage is caused by us and is communicated to us immediately after the occurrence. Valuables with little weight and great value, as for example money, glasses, jewelry, camera, passport, credit cards etc., should always be carried by the client at any given time. The tour operator's maximum responsibility for transported luggage is one piece and €330 per person. The tour operator cannot be responsible for smaller bags.

Reviews

perfect bike trip

great company, well marked trails, beautiful seaside and country side biking, nice B and Bs with great buffet breakfasts

star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullMichaelAugust 9, 2017

Nice Ride! But Can You Afford $13 Beers???

I've taken more than a dozen rides with Biketours! It's a good ride, bikes, hotels, breakfasts, and the local tour operator was super! I've come to know that fjord basically means Inlet. So it's not the legendary & dramatic fjords you've seen in travel shows. No. But the good news is the rolling hills and the endless wheat fields make it an easy ride. You ride on both sides of the Oslofjord with a ferry ride to Sweden and another back to Norway. For all intents, it's an off day, though a 10 mile loop through Sweden is suggested. I'd strongly recommend adding on a few days in Bergen so you can see that remarkable city and the famous Fjords. I took my ride in early August. Beware: it's quite cool and rainy! Once again, it needs to be said that Norway is expensive. So indulge in the wonderful included breakfasts! For two, lunch and or dinner will easily cost $120!! And yes, beers do cost $13.68. Am I glad I took this ride, yes, despite the cost, yes. One last thing: on the last riding day, you'll pass by The Norwegian Outlets. It's about 40 stores, nearly all cater to the outdoor enthusiast.

star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullDarcybAugust 8, 2017

A perfect way to visit the beautiful Oslo Fjord

The ride along the OSlo fjord is varied and extremely picturesque. We cycled through bucolic farmland, narrow wooded paths and beautiful coastline with signature red boathouses and quaint villages. The rolling hills were a little more challenging than we had expected but doable. The hotels seemed to get better each day with the final night being spent at a beautiful spa in Son. Highly recommend this trip.